Senegal President Macky Sall Defends ‘Under Fire’ Idrissa Gueye for Not Supporting LGBTI+ Movement

• Senegal president Macky Sall has declared his support for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Idrissa Gueye on the back of criticisms for deliberately missing his side's league game
• Idrissa Gueye, who is a staunch Muslim, is believed to have abstained from last Saturday's game due to his religious beliefs, which frown on the LGBTI+ movement
• On the penultimate league game, PSG wore jerseys with rainbow colours in a move to support the LGBTI+ community ahead of the World Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

His Excellency Macky Sall, President of Senegal, has offered his support for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Idrissa Gueye.

The diminutive midfield anchor has come under intense media scrutiny especially from the LGBTI+ community over his alleged decision to excuse himself from PSG's penultimate Ligue 1 game against Montpellier.

According to multiple reports from various French outlets, Gueye intentionally missed PSG's league game in order to avoid wearing an anti-homophobia shirt.

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In a post on Twitter, spotted by Sports Brief, the president of the West African nation threw his weight behind the under-fire Gueye.

What did the Senegalese president tweet?

In support of his compatriot, the first gentleman of Senegal tweeted: "I support Idrissa Gana Gueye. His religious convictions must be respected."

Gueye, who is a devout Muslim, was absent in his side's last-but-one league match, and his unexplained has raised eyebrows and criticisms from the LGBTI+ community.

From the estimation of the LGBTI+ community, Gueye's absence was deliberate and thus have called for stiffer sanctions to be imposed on the AFCON winning midfielder due to his supposed unwillingness to fight against Homophobia and Transphobia.

Despite the growing calls for his punishment, Gueye has received warmth from the Muslim community, who have commended his act of bravery and stance to uphold the tenets of his religion.

Idrissa Gueye allegedly missed PSG's Ligue 1 game to avoid wearing anti-homophobia shirt

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Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Senegal and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye allegedly missed his side's recent French Ligue 1 game against Montpellier in order to avoid wearing an anti-homophobia shirt, reports MARCA.

Gueye, who has racked up 25 appearances for PSG this campaign, was conspicuously missing in the Parisian team that faced Montpellier in their last-but-one league game on Saturday.

The AFCON winner watched the game from the stands after he was dropped from the matchday squad by Mauricio Pochettino, who named the Senegalese in his initial squad list for the game.